http://russianmma.com/2008/02/interview-igor-vovchanchyn-mma-pride.html


Question: How did you do in school? Was there a lot of fighting in your childhood? When did you go in for sport?

Igor Vovchanchyn: I did OK in my studies. Fought a lot. Beat everybody up. I was naughty, a bit of a hooligan! (smiling) We had a track and field athletics section in the school, so I joined. I trained there for five years and was the fastest runner. And then I was invited to join a boxing section, where I started my training under the trainer Oleg Ermakov. Then eventually I was invited to join kickboxing: they were looking for a heavier guy. I agreed to. Was swinging my legs already during the training.

Question: During the Warrior`s honour 1 tournament (10.1995), Andrey Besedin managed to quickly submit you. But already a few month later in the Absolute Fighting World Championship 1 tournament, you showed a good ground game defence.

Igor Vovchanchyn: Well, after that loss, I went to Subbotin to wrestle. And wrestled 1.5-2 hours a day. That's how I learned.

Question: Tell about your training. How much different it became from the beginning of your mixed martial arts career to the moment when you were fully concentrated to your Pride fights?

Igor Vovchanchyn: IT was different of course. There was more ground (wrestling/grappling) aspect and I was training two times a day. In the morning I had striking exercises and cross-country running, in the evening wrestling and striking.

Question: What are you doing at the moment? Will you agree to return to a few fights if asked?

Igor Vovchanchyn: I am a businessman. I won't return. Sometimes I want to, but I'm already 35. And above all I have injuries. I can't punch with my right hand at all: I have three pins in the elbow. And additional one in the left. Soon I will go to the nose surgery because I can't breath in the usual manner. Therefore there is no sense of me coming back

Question: How do you comment the collapse of Pride?

Igor Vovchanchyn: (halting for a moment) Well, it's bad. Americans took everything over, but aren't paying much. Monopoly doesn't lead to a good stuff. It would be better if Pride was still alive.